So, I attended an ivy league summer program during my junior year of high school. I kinda did something (nothing illegal and not relating to academics) but I ended up not getting my transcript, kinda got kicked out and apparently, they told me that they black-listed me. Is the blacklist actually a thing? Like did they blacklist me from brown? summer program? or like ivy league schools in general?
Hey there. I am really sorry to hear what happenedâI am a mom here, and will offer some unsolicited advice on top of the answer you seek.
Firstâyes, if you did something that was so beyond the norm that it resulted in you getting kicked out of that program, then I very much doubt they would receive you as as student in the future in any capacity. That is not a function of them blackballing you per se, but rather, in a field of many competitive applications, why take a risk on someone that has already given them a reason to doubt?
Here is the good news. I donât think you are blackballed from all schools, unless what you did is somehow part of your transcripts or something your guidance counselor is obligated to divulge.
Now, letâs talk about the macro issueâhow did you end up in this predicament and what is there to be done about it.
I would say the first thing that you must do, and perhaps you have already, is reflect on where you went wrong. Not in any judgemental way towards yourself, because trust me, young people are prone to âyoung people mistakesâ that have to do with your development more than your character. There are many reasons for this that are brain-based. Meaning issues with impulsivity and judgment are governed by parts of the brain that are not fully formed until you are 25. That doesnât absolve you, entirely, for your choices, but it should give you greater context for your mistakesâ-and assurances that you will make better choices in the future. Many young people do foolish things, so you are not alone. When I say to examine your behavior and how you got there, I urge you to do it from a place of inquiry rather than judgement. The only way you learn and grow and strengthen from this experience is by adapting a grown-mindset.
This second part is harder. Did you harm anyone? I would say you certainly let the institution down and the people that work thereâat least as far as they see it. So the natural next question is, have you made amends? Have you accepted responsibility and do you understand why your actions resulted in that kind of impact to yourself but also to others. If the answer is yes, the natural next step is to apologize with sincerity. Not so you can get something in returnâbut so you can make things right.
Even if you feel unfairly treated, understand that this institution took a chance on you and they now feel let down. So take pen and paper, consult with a trusted adult, and send a letter of apology.
âŠand then, if you havenât already, forgive yourself and move on.
Speaking of which, your future is still so bright! As a young person, you have a lifetime ahead of you to do many things inclusive of a college education. Even if you have been âblackballedâ from one school (and who knowsâmaybe you were not) you have not been blackballed from life. You have not been blackballed from the thousands of institutions that will accept you, or the gap year programs or the jobs and opportunities that await you. To be human, is to err. The beauty of mistakes is they offer opportunities to make amendsâand therefore connections for yourself and in others.
Anywayâsorry if this is overbearing but as a young person, I too made a mistake that I still cringe when I remember it. It wasnât entirely my fault but nothing ever really is, right? That is why if it is even a little bit your fault, that is enough right there to make amends, forgive yourself, learn the lessons, do the stuff, and be the wiser. Maybe someday you will be able to impart that wisdom on a young person of your own.
Lastly, I thought about your question, and I realize that if you are asking the question now, this program situation happened at least a year ago. Which means you are pondering the question from the POV of waiting for acceptances. So if that is the case, here is the short answer that might have served better than the longwinded mom-advice above. I doubt you were blackballed from all the schools. Keep the faithâApril 1st will be here soon enough.
I wish you so much good luck in your path forward.
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Hi, thank you for your comment and advice. But my problem is that the college that I am attending now is asking me for a transcript for my time at the summer program. Do you think I should reach out to Brown? (Because I doubt they would help me since I kinda did diss their summer program.)
See? Just like a MomâI gave you way too much advice for a smaller matter. 
Okâso you listed Brown and now they are asking for the transcrips? Probably should not have listed it but okayâhere is what I would do.
I would write the school you want a very nice letter. I would say:
Hi, thank you so much for reaching out. I am SO excited to hear back from X. I wanted to let you know that since I applied, I have accomplished a, b, or c.
Also__ I see below you are asking for transcripts from my summer program. I ended up having to leave early so I wonât be able to submit transcripts as I did not complete the course. Please feel free to disregard that program as a result.
Thank you
Summer
In other words, donât act like you have anything to hide. DO NOT LIE under any circumstance but youdonât have to make a big production out of not having the transcripts AND you have a chance to say some good things about your progress.
Hope this is more helpful advice! I
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Why did you even disclose the summer program if you received no credit and did not complete it? The only reason they would request a transcript is if you were asking for credit, right? Perhaps you can correct that, if itâs the case, and explain you are not requesting credit for the program.
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Hi, I donât quite remember what I did on my college application because I filled it out in 2019. But i donât know if you know but there is a part that says â if you have joined any summer programs.â and I said yes because I did. But it didnât have a section that says âexplainâ
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Super appreciate your comments and advice, thank you! I meant my current university that I am attending is asking me for my transcript when I did my summer at Brown. ( It wasnât exactly academic but more cultural? It was the off location one. If that helps??)
Just tell your current university that you didnât receive any credits from the program.
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Yeah say âUnfortunately unforseen circumstances lead to me having to depart early from the program, leaving my work within it uncreditedâ
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You are very passive in all this. You âkindaâ did something and you âkindaâ got kicked out and âapparentlyâ they told you that you are not welcome back.
It takes a lot to get kicked out of those programs, and even more to be told that you are black-listed. You donât seem to think that what you did was very bad, but Brown clearly did. I know a bit about how the Brown programs work and they are not terribly rules-bound. If you got kicked out it was not for a trifling matter.
Then, in your college apps you used Brownâs name - b/c âthey asked if I had joined any summer programs and I hadâ. And, presumably, b/c you thought it would impress the AdComm and improve your chances of admission. Double check the wording, but I would be stunned if the app asked if you had joined any summer programs- my bet is that they asked if you had done any summer programs. If you didnât complete the program you didnât âdoâ it. If you had truly had any of the âget out of jail freeâ options other posters are suggesting (âhad to withdrawâ) you should have said so at the time.
Instead you deliberately tried to get credit for something you didnât actually do, and now you have been caught out.
At the very least own that to yourself.
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Iâm confused. Did you indicate attendance at the Brown summer program on your application in 2019 and they are now checking up on you?
Or is the registrar trying to ascertain your total credits?
It makes a difference.
I am hoping you have not misrepresented in any serious way. In hindsight, I am sure you realize that you should not have indicated that you attended a summer program, since you left without finishing.
Or do you, in fact, have a transcript from the summer program, with an F orW?
The main thing here is to be honest. But if it is merely a bureaucratic matter of ascertaining credits, just tell them you didnât finish the program.
There is a database that lets colleges know when an applicant has attended another school. Does anyone know whether this includes credit-granting summer schools?
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I was planning on doing that, thanks!
Just going to stick with the truth but thank you.
Hi, thank you for your comment. I said âkindaâ because Iâm not remembering it clearly right now since it happened like 4 years ago.
I do accept full responsibility of my actions, and Iâm here to ask for advice. The thing is, I donât remember if they said âkicked outâ but I defiantly do not have a completion certificate but I did stay for the whole time.
When I was doing my college applications the question was if I âtakenâ which I did, however they did not give me a certificate because it was a punishment for my actions. They did not ask if I completed it but they asked if I taken it. Additionally, Iâm pretty sure I remember hearing the word âblack listedâ from something, like I said before Iâm not remembering it clearly. What I did was not academic related, such as I did not cheat or plagiarized, nor did I harm anybody. I donât think what I did was acceptable/appropriate, but at the time I chose to do it because I obviously did not think it through and it was very irresponsible of me to do so. Iâm not going to say what I did because itâs in the past and I donât think my explanation will justify anything but to be seen as an âchildish excuse.â
Hi, thank you for your comment. When I was doing my college application back in 2019, I clicked âyesâ when the question asked if I taken coursework at college/university. So I put down the Brown Summer Program. Because I did complete it, however they did not ask for any credits/completion. (If they did I would not have clicked yes.) I just got an email from my school saying that they wanted to see a transcript because itâs missing from my file, I have no idea why. Since I did not request any credits, as Iâve said before, I did not get a transcript/completion certificate because of my action. Right now I am thinking that I might have misrepresented it, since you put it this way. (Iâm not trying to make an excuse but I thought that by taking it but not completing the program still counts as attendance?) But yes I plan to talk to my school about it, thank you.
How is it not the truth? Itâs just more professional jargon then whatever you were gonna sayâŠ
good luck lol
Because the way I got out of the program is âthe problemâ , Iâm not sure I can explain it without going into detail. But thanks.
I think the OP has received adequate advice on next steps. Closing.
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